Power efficiency has become a feature and expectation for modern electronic appliances. Some electronic appliances attempt to reduce power consumption by switching to a standby mode when the appliance is not in use. An electronic appliance such as a shredder may enter a standby mode by ceasing to run any motors or dimming any display screens on the shredder. Even in this state, however, shredder components such as power supplies, photodetectors, LED's, protection circuits, display screens, and sensors may continue to draw power from sources that the shredder is plugged into. Some types of shredders can consume up to two watts per hour or 48 watts per day in standby mode. In light of the increasing number of shredders in use, the amount energy wasted in standby mode, also called vampire power or standby power, is not insignificant.
Standby power drawn by appliances may be eliminated by disconnecting the appliance from its power source when the appliance is not in use. This disconnecting may be done by unplugging a power cord of the shredder or by toggling a mechanical switch that temporarily breaks a conductive path supplying power to the shredder. When the appliance needs to be used again, the user must then replug the power cord or toggle the mechanical switch to restore the conductive path supplying power to the appliance. Such a manual method of reducing power consumption, however, may be too inconvenient or easy to forget.